If you have ever struggled with plantar fasciitis, you know how painful it is: it’s like the feeling of being pierced in the heel with a hot needle repeatedly with every action you take.
When you walk or run, especially on surfaces that are solid and unyielding, the pressure exerted by your body weight can trigger tension on the plantar fascia (the band of ligament that connects your heel to your toes).
Over time, this stress can become the chronic pain and swelling we call plantar fasciitis. With the consistent ache of plantar fasciitis, your ability to face the pain — and your desire to continue with daily life as usual — is put to the test.
Regrettably, there are no magic cures for plantar fasciitis; it’s a chronic condition. But there are a wide range of different ways to relieve foot pain from plantar fasciitis, and one of the best ways is massage treatment. Not only is massage treatment economical and widely available, but it’s also verified to be effective in easing plantar fasciitis pain.
Calf stretching, icing the affected location, and rubbing your plantar fascia can all help to alleviate some or all of the discomfort. But why does massage therapy succeed so well for plantar fasciitis? Let’s have a look at how massage therapy works to relieve this frequent source of heel discomfort.
So What is Massage Treatment?
Massage therapy is the use of various hands-on therapy and manual therapy techniques to apply pressure to the soft tissues of your body.
Massage therapists develop an individualized treatment plan to adjust your connective tissues and muscles to help lessen muscle tension and discomfort, enhance blood circulation, and support relaxation. It might be employed as a form of preventive health care or as a procedure for unique concerns such as plantar fasciitis.
How Does Massage Ease Discomfort for Plantar Fasciitis?
When you get plantar fasciitis, the band of tissue on the bottom of your foot becomes irritated, swollen, and very tender. This can also take place in your lower legs if you have poor posture.
Where plantar fasciitis and bad posture are concerned, massage treatment is employed to get rid of the lactic acid crystals that build up in the tissue of the lower legs and soles of the feet. This helps minimize inflammation and relieve severe pain.
Massage therapy is additionally believed to be beneficial in treating plantar fasciitis due to the fact that it increases blood circulation to the impacted locations. More blood circulation means more oxygen and nutrients reaching that painful, swollen tissue. That helps accelerate the recovery process, so you can return to normal faster.
Which Type of Massage Therapy is Best for Plantar Fasciitis?
Given that plantar fasciitis is an agonizing ailment, the majority of professionals strongly recommend a deep tissue massage for long-lasting muscle pain relief.
Deep tissue massage is a type of massage treatment that focuses on the deeper layers of connective tissue and muscle. It is usually done with tougher pressure, frequently making use of the massage therapist’s knuckles or elbows.
Advantages of Massage Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis
Beyond decreasing the discomfort of plantar fasciitis and speeding up the recovery process, massage treatment delivers a number of other benefits:
- Enhances Sleep – Receiving a massage is a terrific way to relax and soothe your body prior to you going to sleep. It can be an effective way to lessen tension, unwind after a difficult day, and improve your sleep quality.
- Lessens Clinical Depression and Anxiousness – A massage can be a terrific way to attend to sensations of anxiety and unhappiness. It’s a type of self-care that will deeply soothe your mind, body, and spirit.
- Boosts Your Immune System – When you’re stressed or distressed, your body enters its fight or flight reaction. This causes your immune system to minimize its efficiency to avoid overspending energy.
How Often Should You Have Massage Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis?
If you have plantar fasciitis, you ought to have a massage a minimum of once a week. For best results, you can try integrating massage therapy with other forms of treatment, such as icing, stretching, and making use of supportive shoes and insoles. Make sure to consult your massage therapist about the ideal frequency for your massage sessions.
How to Pick a Great Massage Therapist
When you are looking for a massage therapist, the very first thing you should try is to ask around. Find out if any friends or relatives can recommend a compassionate care therapist they’ve had a favorable experience with. Past that, there are a couple of other ways you may find an excellent massage therapist:
- It is recommended to pick a massage therapist who focuses on sports massage. Sports massage is a kind of massage that concentrates on the specific needs of athletes, including joints, muscles, and other soft structures like the plantar fascia. To be effective, a sports massage therapist should have training in biomechanics and anatomy.
- Check out online reviews – You can discover evaluations for many massage therapists online. Make certain to search for reviews from clients that have comparable issues as you do.
- Look at your insurance coverage – If you have medical insurance, direct billing may cover massage therapy. Before making an appointment, check to see if massage therapy is covered under your plan.
- Ask your doctor – Your physician knows you best. If you have plantar fasciitis and you’re searching for a massage therapist, ask your doctor for a recommendation.
Wrap Up
When you have plantar fasciitis, you can experience a great deal of discomfort and pain. One fantastic way to ease this pain is by getting on-going massages. Massage treatment can help dissolve lactic acid crystals, increase blood flow, and accelerate the recuperation process.
Contact Aspire Physiotherapy right away and we can start eliminating your plantar fasciitis pain. Now scheduling new appointments!